“Of course. I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Stevenson.”
With a tight smile and a short nod, he muttered a thank you, then walked away.
I watched him go, my heart aching for the man. If he murdered Moira, I’d sell my business and live in a dirt hut for the rest of my life.
CHAPTER 23
Luke
“Time doesn’t go any faster just because you keep looking at your watch, son.”
I glanced up at my dad, guilt gnawing at me that I’d been distracted enough during our visit that he noticed. “Sorry.” The truth was, I’d been thinking about Mina and whether to call her. It had been a couple of days since I’d seen her. We’d talked, but I’d been too busy to make it back to Parker’s Landing. Kado had been overseeing the job in my absence.
“Don’t be. Tell me what’s got you anxious to leave.”
Leaning forward with my elbows propped on my knees, I rubbed my hands together and stared out the window for a long moment. “It’s not so much that I’m anxious to leave. I’m just…” I shrugged and looked at him. “I met someone.”
Eyes widening, Dad stared at me. Then, a slow smile spread over his face. “Really?”
“Really.” An answering smile kicked up one side of my mouth. “You know her too. Mina Kensington.”
Just as quickly, Dad’s smile disappeared. “A client? Son?—”
I held up a hand. “I know what you’re going to say. Don’t mix business with pleasure and all that. It wasn’t like I was lookingto start something with her. It just sort of happened. She’s amazing.”
“I agree, but…” Dad’s voice trailed off and he shook his head. “How’s it working out? That reno hasn’t been the easiest. Now you add a relationship into the mix?”
I sat back, crossing my arms. “It’s definitely complicated. The renovation side of things is going fine.”
“Uh-oh. That sounds like the relationship is in trouble.”
“It’s not that it’s in trouble, it’s just”—again, I shrugged—“complicated.”
“What’s complicated about it? You either like the woman and want to be with her or you don’t.”
“I do like her, but I’m not the one complicating things.”
“Mina’s being unreasonable?” Dad frowned.
“No. I think it’s more that she’s seeing things that aren’t there.”
“Such as?”
“Do you remember Taylor Bray?”
“Henry Bray’s daughter? The one you dated after we did their cabin remodel?”
I nodded. “Yeah. She stumbled through Parker’s Landing the other day, and it just happened to be when I was with Mina. Now, I think Mina feels like she doesn’t measure up. That she’s not pretty enough or young enough.” I blew out a breath, getting more perturbed about the situation as I talked. “I don’t understand it. She’s beautiful, and I don’t care that she’s older than me.”
“Have you told her that?”
“I tried, but I got called away before I could, and now I haven’t seen her in a few days, and we haven’t had more than a couple of phone chats and some text messages.”
Dad groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why didn’t you go talk to her the moment you had a second?”
I snorted. “Because I haven’t had a second. This happened the day you had to have that second stent placed. I’ve either been here or working since.”
“I didn’t ask you to be here.” Dad held out a hand and motioned to his room at the rehab center, where he currently lived until the doctors were happy for him to go home.
